Leixliptown RENEWAL PLAN - PUBLIC CONSULTATION
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leixlipTOWN RENEWAL PLAN - PUBLIC CONSULTATION leixlip TOWN RENEWAL PLAN - UPDATE MAY 2021 INTRODUCTION Leixlip Town A Focus on How Covid 19 has Renewal Sustainability Changed the Plan Way we Interact The Strategic Projects and Public Realm Providing sustainable communities where COVID-19 has brought a sudden section of Kildare County Council and people can live, work and socialise is the unexpected change in how we socialise Metropolitan Workshop, in association cornerstone of the Town Renewal Plan. The and use our surrounding environment. with the community of Leixlip, are in the following high level aims will inform the These changes in how we live and work process of preparing a Town Renewal Plan emerging Plan. have placed stresses upon our town for Leixlip. The key objective of the Leixlip infrastructures, highlighting inadequacies Town Renewal Plan is to deliver a new vision but also opportunities to develop our for the town with pedestrian focused public They include: towns in a sustainable and progressive way. spaces and liveable streets. The aim is to Local parks, paths and outdoor amenities put the pedestrian and cyclist at the heart • Providing a mix of land uses to have become so important to our physical of the design solution for the town and to minimise transport demand by prioritising and mental wellbeing during this time. create fully accessible, inclusive and age- walking, cycling and public transport, and We have begun to interact more with our friendly public spaces. The Town Renewal minimise the need to use cars; home towns as we no longer commute and Plan will include a masterplan of the area • Delivering a quality of life which have more spare time to enjoy the natural with key priority regeneration projects and residents and visitors are entitled to expect, beauties which our localities have to offer. an implementation strategy for the town. in terms of amenity, safety and convenience At the same time, the pandemic has acted The Plan will also align with the policies and - presenting an attractive and distinct sense like an x-ray to our urban environment, objectives of the Leixlip Local Area Plan. of place with a quality public realm that is diagnosing symptoms of poor urban design easily maintained; where they exist such as the lack of open • Enhancing and protecting green space to encourage safe and enjoyable infrastructure/biodiversity and our built and social interaction. We realise that quality natural heritage; urban spaces are required in our towns • Reviewing the range of community in order to improve our quality of life, our and support facilities, where and when they health and wellbeing. are needed and ensuring they are easily leixlip TOWN RENEWAL PLAN - UPDATE MAY 2021 Leixlip - Study Boundary leixlip TOWN RENEWAL PLAN - UPDATE MAY 2021 CONSULTATION STEPS Phase A – Start Up and Background Analysis (Q1 2020) Timeline Refresher This phase consisted of the appointed design team carrying out site visits and background analysis to generate a set of plans which help our understanding of the town, its history and structure. Typical issues we looked at are existing land uses, open spaces, connections and linkages, public transport and movement Q1 Phase A network, building heights etc. This information helps the design team build a picture of the town and to better Start Up and understand the opportunities. 2020 Background Analysis Phase B – Initial Consultation (Q2 2020) This phase consisted of an online mini-survey, carried out from 5th to 19th of June 2020, which sought to get a snapshot of what residents thought worked well and what didn’t work so well. The team also met with local representatives to understand their hopes and concerns for the town. Learning about local strengths, needs, Q2 Phase B issues and challenges is a massively important step in the process of design development, and so engagement Initial 2020 Consultation and feedback is essential. We are grateful to the respondents who completed our Community Mini-Survey, and the excellent additional comments submitted. As we embark on this exciting project, the feedback we received will help guide the project Design Team in the early design proposals and considerations. The results of this mini -survey are WE ARE HERE presented back as part of this consultation. Q3 Phase C Phase C – Consultation (Q3 2021) 2021 Consultation This current phase consists of an online survey which will see wide communication of the project – its aims and objectives, how the engagement process will inform the project, how people can get involved, means of contact, etc. Using a new website, surveys, meetings with local stakeholders, electorate, public engagement we will be listening closely and gathering knowledge on local strengths, needs, challenges and opportunities. This initial communication stage will set out the context of the Town Renewal Plan and look for specific feedback on what proposals you would like to see brought forward. Q4 Phase D 2021 Design Stage Phase D – Design Stage (Q4 2021) Following this consultation stage, preliminary designs will be drawn up which respond, where possible, to feedback received and transparently set out the rationale. These emerging ideas will be put on display and, depending on Covid restrictions, the website may be used to upload information and illustrate material. It could have a short questionnaire with a series of specific questions aimed to draw out useful responses. Phase E Q1 Town Renewal Phase E – Town Renewal Plan (Q1 2022) 2022 Plan This phase would see the finalisation of the Town Renewal Plan and publication of the document. leixlip TOWN RENEWAL PLAN - UPDATE MAY 2021 SURVEY FEEDBACK - RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS ENGAGEMENT Demographics A wide cross section of the community was surveyed in terms of age profile and place and length of residence in Leixlip in order to inform a Kildare County Council and Metropolitan balanced picture of the present situation. Workshop, the Project Team have embarked on a Community and Stakeholder al Situ Engagement process since the initiation erson ation le Age Group? P ? of Leixlip Town Renewal Plan. Our aim is f peop who Student e o live to work closely with residents, business ag in nt L Did not e e answer owners and community groups who live rc ix Stay at e li and work in Leixlip so that their opinions P p home 2% Parent and observations are reflected in the plans 4% 2% 9% 7% In Unemployed Employment to improve the town. 12 1% 3% 2% (not living in Leixlip) An initial online survey was carried out from 17% 5th – 19th June 2020 with 723 respondents 29 to gain insights on what was seen as >75% >5% important to the resi dents of the town. Specific areas highlighted in the Local Area Plan were further investigated including 0-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 pedes trian and cyclist infrastructure, 98% inadequate facilities (most notably a (living in Leixlip) swimming pool), night time activities (theatre/cinema/arts centre) with a particular focus on the sus tainable use of cultural and historical assets of the town and its environs. Where Do You Live? In order to avoid repetition of survey 0% 10% 20% material amongst this group, we have collated feedback and comments from the ve you live Beechpark 6% ha d Captains Hill 15% initial survey on the following pages ong in L L eix Castletown 2% ow lip Celbridge Road 10% We are so thankful to all respondents to our H ? Easton 20% 39% 19% Elton Court 0% Community Survey. As we embark on this more than up to Glendale 2% exciting development project, the 1 generation 30 years Louisa 2% Leixlip Park 0% feedback we received will directly guide Oaklawn West 1% the project Design Team in the early design Oaklawn 1% Rinawade 7% proposals and considerations. 42% Riverforest 14% up to 30 years Rockingham 1% Ryevale 13% Station Road 1% Town Centre 1% Westfield 1% leixlip TOWN RENEWAL PLAN - UPDATE MAY 2021 ON-STREET SURVEY - RESULTS - TRAVEL/TRANSPORT ou travel beyo employed, w o y nd are her u travel w D Le u e i yo ith w ix o s o in o li y it D Le H Public p If In Leixlip ? Where do you shop? w ix (or within a o l Transport Other ip 2km H 11 % 1400 radius) bike 120 0 5% Cycling 1%% 8% within 5km 1000 13 % 800 600 Walking 8% 41% Car 400 54% 200 71 % 0 town centre out of town shopping other did not answer centres Other Dublin Car Areas 88% INSIGHTS - Although walking holds a significant percentage of the means of local journeys, car transport still dominates. Walking and cycling infrastuctures between nodes of work, amenity and recreation from residential areas should be prioritised to further encourage the uptake of sustainable forms of travel. - Commuting long-distance by car to work is common amongst the demographic surveyed (Potential to re-survey post Covid-19) - Leixlip is presently marginally stronger in terms of local shopping habits, this must be encouraged and strenghtened. Further survey required to understand challenges faced by Leixlip town to compete in terms of retail offering Would better foot- paths, cycle facilities Is travel congestion and/or safety for wal and road crossings of king inappropriate driver behaviour ion a encourage more pt nd common in Leixlip? e walking and cycling? rc cy e c p Very l in No e No Safe g 26% th 8% a 15% is r o t u a n h Not safe d 26% ? W Safe 66% Yes Yes 74 % 85% INSIGHTS - Almost three-quarters of those surveyed (74%) regard Leixlip presently as a safe place to cycle or walk - Both cycling and pedestrian infrastructure is regarded as requiring improvement leixlip - Traffic management measures need to be looked at to improve traffic congestion and pedestrian and cyclist safety TOWN RENEWAL PLAN - UPDATE MAY 2021 ON-STREET SURVEY - RESULTS - TRAVEL/TRANSPORT Do you travel outside of ic p publ arks & How far would you use p Leixlip to use any other ou lay walk to use public y g d Never ro l u parks and sports or recreational u n o d playgrounds? facilities? w s 9% n i 5 e n t mins f 3% L o e i 31 % Rarley x No w 10% 20 30% l i 25% o p mins 10 ? H 12 % 46% mins once Yes a month 75% 30% 29% 15 mins several times a week once a week INSIGHTS - three quarters of those surveyed presently travel outside of Leixlip to access basic recreational facilities.